An overview is provided of the problem of student attrition and the essential components of effective retention programs. Following introductory arguments that the secret of retention is in the development of communities committed to education rather than retention, the paper discusses several major causes of student attrition, including academic…

This study was conducted to identify factors that affect disadvantaged women in their efforts to gain long-term employment or to complete vocational and technical education programs. Following a review of literature, a questionnaire was prepared and administered to 160 disadvantaged women in Texas. An analysis of the questionnaire responses…

A study was conducted to determine whether there is an identifiable coping personality related to academic achievement and retention for black college students. Low coping students were also taught coping strategies to determine whether mastering academic requirements facilitates achievement and persistence. The relationship of black student…

Keynote papers from Delaware's first annual statewide conference on the education of children of limited English proficiency (LEP) are presented in this document. They include: "Delaware's Initiatives in the Education of Children of Limited English Proficiency" (William B. Keene); "Research and Issues in the Education of LEP…

This report is a summary of deliberations and strategy development at a forum focussed on the problems of youth at risk of not making a successful transition from school to adulthood. Twenty work groups came up with three priorities in dealing with the problems of at-risk youth: (1) address a child's education, social, health, and other needs…

The first 2 years (1986-1988) of the implementation of Fordham University's Stay-In-School Partnership Project (SSPP), a dropout program for urban high-risk children, are described. The long-term goal of the partnership between Fordham's Graduate Schools of Education and Social Science and New York City School District No. 4, a school district…

This report describes a survey, conducted winter 1987-88, of policies, practices, programs, and plans for pregnant and parenting students in nine urban school districts. Interviews were conducted with administrators in superintendents' offices, in dropout prevention planning, and in programs for pregnant and parenting students. Among the findings…

This study sought to determine whether there is a set of in-school factors which might help explain the differences in dropout rates among schools with very similar student bodies. The study was designed as an in-depth ethnographic examination of four pairs of Chicago (Illinois) public high schools. One school in each pair had a high dropout rate…

This book collects articles that examine the patterns of dropping out evident among American youth, and the policies developed and implemented to reduce the incidence of dropping out. The following chapters (and their authors) are included: (1) Introduction (G. Natriello); (2) Can We Help Dropouts? Thinking about the Undoable (D. Mann); (3) Large…

The results of a study of school/business partnerships is reported. This privately funded national study was an assessment of collaborations attempting to increase the effectiveness of public schools. Qualitative research techniques were employed to study the components and structures of the programs and to assess student outcomes. The following…

This report presents the Academic Retention and Talent Retrieval components of the Special Services Program at Northern Illinois University. The support structures are described in detail, including: CHANCE counseling, which assists students with academic and financial planning, personal growth, peer tutoring, and career counseling; and the Talent…

This report reviews the research literature from 1975-1983 on potential secondary school dropouts and strategies for effective dropout prevention programs. The information provided is intended to help communities in modifying and/or constructing treatment programs for potential dropouts. The report is divided into three sections. In the first…

Operation Success is a pilot project funded by the New York State Education Department to provide support services to high school dropouts and potential dropouts. It offers programs, including employment programs, intended to develop skills, self-awareness and self-direction, enourage career goals, and develop appropriate attitudes toward the…

The interrelation of enrollment, marketing, and retention, and implications for enrollment management planning at the postsecondary level are considered. Factors that will likely affect enrollment in the 1980s include sources of support for private institutions; increased federal controls, including legislation for veterans and financial aid; and…

More than 50 college students participated in an investigation of the extent to which content area study skills programs influenced the attrition rates and grade point averages of health science students whose performance was marginal. Two experimental study skills programs were developed. In the first, 11 students were placed in a "how to study…